The TETRA network combines traits of walkie-talkies and mobile phones. The mobile radios could be used by traffic police, patrol police and customs officers. The company hopes to supply the systems and terminals for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, according to EADS.

EADS Secure Networks was created following a major deal that saw EADS buying Nokia's PMR business. The addition of Nokia's TETRA business means that EADS has more than 130 PMR customers in 56 countries.

Mobile tracking system helps first reponders find civilians

The Saline County, Va., Search and Rescue Team deployed Project Lifesaver, which is designed to help rescuers locate disoriented and lost civilians with the use of radio technology. The system was designed to rescue people who have Alzheimer's, autism or any other disease that would cause them to wander, according to county officials.

Project Lifesaver relies on radio technology and a specially trained search-and-rescue team. Clients enrolled in the Project Lifesaver program wear a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal. When caregivers notify the local Project Lifesaver agency that the person is missing, a search-and-rescue team uses a mobile locater tracking system to find the person. Recovery times average less than 30 minutes, said Project Lifesaver.

Wireless transmission of electrocardiograms from EMTs to cardiologists saves lives

If emergency medical technicians (EMTs) wirelessly transmit electrocardiograms (ECG) to a cardiologist's hand-held device, heart-attack patients can potentially receive direct clot removal in half the usual time, according to a study done by cardiologists at Duke University Medical Center and NorthEast Medical Center in Concord, N.C.

In the current study, EMTs transmitted ECG tracings electronically from the scene or in the ambulance to an on-call cardiologist's personal digital assistant (PDA). The cardiologist—on spotting the definitive signs of a heart attack—could mobilize the catheterization laboratory while the patient was en route to the hospital. The William T. Morris Foundation, N.Y., the Duke Endowment, Charlotte, N.C., and Welch Allyn, Skaneateles Falls, N.Y., supported the pilot project.

India railway now equipped with digital wireless network

Nortel Networks has been selected by India’s Eastern Railway to provide GSM for Railways’ (GSM-R) digital wireless network. India’s government will deploy a communications network using Nortel Networks’ GSM-R technology for the 261-kilometer, 24-station rail line running between Eastern Railway divisional headquarters in Howrah (West Bengal's second largest city) and Pradhankunta. The new communications network is scheduled for completion within 12 months.

Nortel Networks GSM-R solution for Eastern Railway provides uniform transmission of voice and data for operation of the train line, including communications between train conductors, on-board crew, train dispatchers, station personnel and other operations groups. The network also will manage operational, maintenance, motor vehicle and marshalling-yard radio communications, according to a Nortel company statement.